Proposals
by The Steppy One
Summary: Ron has been planning the perfect way to propose to Hermione for a month, but Harry has shocking timing so Ron's plans go to pot.


**This plot bunny wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it! Luckily it didn't take long! (Apologies if you read this with the formatting errors, should be fixed now)**

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**Proposals**

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I'm possibly having what Hermione may call a 'teaspoon' moment, in that I'm finding it hard to believe that I can feel two very different emotions so very strongly at one time. Actually, I've moved on considerably from my fifteen-year-old self, in that it's actually me that's feeling both emotions, but I'm regressing slightly in that I can't understand how I can feel utter elation, while being the most frustrated I have felt in longer than I can remember.

You see, the problem comes from my best friend and my sister. The former having just asked the latter to marry him. Obviously, I'm thrilled for them. They are ridiculously happy together and if I have to let my baby sister go to someone, I'd rather it be Harry. Plus, I love him to bits, too, and I'm happy he's found someone who isn't going out with him because he saved the Wizarding World twice, because he has a lot of gold, or because they want him to help them achieve fame and or a lot of gold by being associated with him. He deserves someone who loves him because he's Harry James Potter, unable to ever stop playing the hero, a hot-headed git when he gets an idea in said hot head, and someone who will produce children with shocking hair, much like his own. And Ginny does.

Which is why she has agreed to marry my best mate and is inside the house talking weddings with my mum, Fleur and Hermione.

And Hermione is the reason I'm sitting outside with my Butterbeer (laced with Firewhisky, to keep the cold off, of course) and not joining in on the impromptu party that's going on very loudly inside The Burrow.

She's also the reason for the frustration. No, wait, that came out wrong. I'm not frustrated because of her, not at all, in any way. I'm frustrated because there is now a 'situation' which ultimately involves her.

Because my future brother-in-law couldn't have had worse timing. He proposed to Ginny – completely out of the blue I might add – tonight, when I was going to propose to Hermione tomorrow.

Harry has no idea, of course. I don't think he would have dreamed of doing it the day before I was planning to on purpose. If anything he'd've made sure that we did it on the same evening if it was going to be this close together or would have made sure the two proposals were months apart.

Am I being unreasonable about this? Actually, I don't think I want to know the answer to that question. I just...I just don't want it to seem like I'm proposing to Hermione just because Harry proposed to Ginny. I don't want to come across as the jealous brother who's not getting the attention so decides to ask his girlfriend to marry him for that reason only.

I'm asking her to marry me because I love her and I can't live without her, don't ever want to live without her. So I'm going to make her mine, in a non-possessive way, of course. Most of the time.

I had everything planned for tomorrow as well. It wasn't going to be a special day, well, apart from the proposal of course, but I didn't want to go over-the-top fancy and extravagant, because she would have known something was going on and would have kept asking me about what I was planning every five minutes. She's a smart woman, my Hermione, and when she needs something answered she won't stop until she knows what she wants to know. So, it was just going to be a day that was just a bit more special than normal: a walk around the local country park, which she loves, and then a lazy afternoon before I make her favourite meal for dinner. I even had a back up plan if it's gonna piss it down something stupid tomorrow. But now I don't know if I should or not.

I hear the back door closing and footsteps come towards me. I turn around and smile. My was soon-to-be fiancé is walking towards me and she's carrying my cloak.

See, that's what I adore about Hermione, amongst many, many, many other things. She's come out here, not because I technically should be inside with everyone else celebrating, and she's come to nag me about going inside. No, she's come out here, because she knows that I have something to think about and I'll come in when I want to, but she doesn't want me to get cold while I'm out here. Hence the reason why she's carrying my cloak. Okay, she may pass on the nagging from my mum and the others, but I don't think she'll add to it.

Before she has the chance to say anything, I stand up, walk to her and kiss her. I swear, it takes every ounce of self-control in me to not blurt out a garbled proposal there and then. I want to ask her so much and now things are weird.

I pull back and smile as she's looking a little dazed.

'Was...was that for any specific reason?' she asks, a small smile on her face.

'Just because I love you,' I reply with a grin.

'Oh, okay then, well, thank you! I brought your cloak out. It looks cold.'

'Thanks.'

I take it from her and pull it on, after she's taken my drink from me so I can do it without needing to attempt a juggling act.

She hands me my drink back and sucks on her bottom lip. I know she wants to ask me if I'm okay, but doesn't want to make me feel like she's prying or nagging.

'I'm okay,' I say with a smile, and she returns the gesture. 'I just needed to get away from all that for a bit.'

She nods, acknowledging the fact that I knew what she wanted to ask.

'I know what you mean. When your mum said that you'd be catching your death out here I took all of a second to get up and get your cloak to bring to you. I'm really happy for Ginny and Harry, obviously, but I'd just rather not have to worry about what colour Ginny's going have me in as bridesmaid for a good few months yet!'

'Well, for what it's worth, I don't think it's going to be pink. Pink with Weasley red hair is not good!'

She laughs out loud.

'Do you mind if I join you or do you want to be alone?'

Another thing I love about her is that she always gives me the option to be on my own. I very rarely want to be on my own, but she never presumes.

'Of course not, but the ground's pretty cold. So much for Spring! I can warm it up for you.'

'No, don't,' she replies quickly, 'it's not right…I mean, it takes the fun out of sitting outside…I don't know, that sounds strange.'

'No, it doesn't. It makes perfect sense. Just don't blame me if your bum goes numb with cold!'

She grins and sits on the ground. I sit behind her and wrap my arms around her waist.

'Did you know Harry was going to propose to Ginny tonight?' she asks as her hands cover mine.

'Nope! Git! You'd think he'd at least hint at the fact he was about to ask my sister to marry him. But apparently not!'

'It does sound like he acted on impulse though, doesn't it? So, I wouldn't be too offended.'

'Yeah, I suppose. He's still a git though!'

She chuckles and I wrap my arms tighter around her.

We sit in silence for a few minutes and then she starts to sniff quietly.

Thoughts run through my head. Is she upset because I haven't asked her to marry me yet? Is she jealous? Feeling like I don't love her? My heart starts to pound.

'Ron, have you got a tissue? My nose is running from the cold.'

I sigh in relief and roll my eyes at myself.

'Yeah, in my right pocket.'

She reaches behind her and finds my pocket. It's only as she's pulling a very large handful of tissue out of it, that I panic.

As in proper panic. As in every plan that I've been making over the past month is about to go down the toilet, because I've just had a brain fart, and forgot I was keeping Hermione's engagement ring on my person at all time before tomorrow.

'Thanks,' she says as she sorts through the tissues, and then, before I can say anything, 'Ron, what's this?'

My head falls forward and touches Hermione's.

'Um…'

'Is…is it…what I…what I think it is?'

'What do you think it is?'

'Not going to work, Weasley, answer the question.'

I sigh and resign myself to the fact that my perfect proposal is well and truly buggered.

'Well, if you think it's an engagement ring, then you would be right,' I say quietly. Whether the sound got through her hair to her ears, I'm not sure.

'Oh,' she whispers. I'm guessing her hair liked what I said and let it through.

'I…It wasn't supposed to be like this. It was going to be perfect. Tomorrow was going to be beautiful. I was going to take you for a walk in the morning, make you your favourite dinner and then ask you. The day as a whole wasn't going to be anything too fancy, because you would have worked out that something was going on and I wanted it to be a complete surprise. But then…'

What did I have to lose when it came to telling her my frustrations about Harry and Ginny? She's my best friend, I can tell her anything.

'But then Harry asked Ginny to marry her and you wondered how it would look.'

I'm confused as to whether I've moved my mouth and said those words without knowing it, or whether Hermione has read my mind. Then I remember that she is one, a genius, and two, knows me far too well.

'Well…yeah. I didn't want it to look like I was doing it because I felt I should, or because I was trying to match up to Harry or whatever other crap reason people might think of. I still can't believe the scrawny git did it on impulse when I've been planning this for a month!'

I realise she's very quiet. Then I realise that she's just found out I was planning on proposing, then lost my nerve and hadn't stopped waffling on for the last few minutes.

'Hermione, I'm sorry. You deserve a perfect proposal of marriage and now it's ruined.'

She pulls my arms from around her and turns before she takes me completely off guard and kisses me. I can't help but fall back onto the ground and take her with me.

She's kissing me like she did the first time she ever kissed me, so I'm guessing that I've said something that she likes.

She pulls back.

'How long did you say you've been planning this?'

I grin.

'Oh, at least a month, might be more.'

She kisses me again and then pulls back far too quickly. She sits up and straddles my lap, ring box in hand.

'Well, I think we have three options. Well, you have three options. I shall try my best to forget this conversation completely, for it to be a complete surprise, like you wanted. Firstly, you could wait until you think other people won't think what you think they'll think, which means you have to re-plan everything again from the beginning. Or, you could do everything as planned and worry yourself all through the day about people thinking what you think they'll think, which will probably make you uncomfortable and make me think there's something seriously wrong, and you know how I get when I know there's something bothering you.'

See, I was right with the 'not doing anything that would make me act weird' thing!

'Or, you still do everything as planned tomorrow, but you do it with the knowledge that your girlfriend…fiancée won't mind if we don't tell people right away. She understands that you have reservations after what Harry's done today, so won't mind at all, if you propose tomorrow in the exact way you've planned and then decide how and when we tell people afterwards.'

Merlin, I love her!

'I love you so much, you know?'

She smiles and lays back down on me. She puts the box in my hand and runs her fingers through my hair.

'After what you've told me tonight, that's obvious, and you'll find out tomorrow, how much I love you, too.'

I move to kiss her but she pulls back.

'What?' I ask, confused.

'Still in need of a tissue,' she says before sniffing.

I laugh out loud and she reaches behind her and grabs a tissue that got discarded before she kissed me. She wipes her nose and turns her attention back to me.

'Better?' I ask.

'Yes, for both you and me!'

She kisses me and we lose ourselves in each other for I don't know how long. When we finally pull apart it's not long before a slightly puzzled expression appears on her face.

'What is it?'

'What happens if it rains? You said you were going to take me out…well, with our wonderful weather, that was a bit of a risk, wasn't it?'

'Well, I have a contingency plan, but I couldn't possibly tell you!'

She raises her eyebrows at me and I laugh.

'Well, if I told you, it would hardly be a surprise, would it?'


End file.
